LIM: Jorge Chávez International Airport, PERU

LOCATION: THE AIRPORT

“I believe that airports are romantic. They’re filled with those who greet others hello, those who say goodbye, and those who only arrive to say goodbye.” - Alexa Cabredo

           I used to hate the airport and sometimes, well I still do. This was related to the fact that I would associate it with the times mom would leave from her fortnight long visits to our place in the Philippines. It would be the times I would get to see her, then exchange tears and promises that I would do good in school and take care of my brother and sister. Aside from that, my memories don’t usually go past the random flashes of my dad losing his patience with check-in personnel inquiring as to “why is it taking so damn long” to get the line moving.

But as my wanderlust developed its vice grip on my nervous system, I’ve come to notice certain things about the airport. IF you look past the controversy of homeland security practices, check in lines that seem like it’s LONG on purpose, officers who sometimes seem to hate the world, and overpriced food options, there is an abundance of stories untold.

BCN: El-Prat Airport, BARCELONA

For example, while standing in line to board my flight to Turkey, I had caught wind of a man who waited as long as he could before entering the dreaded realm of customs. He would let other travelers pass him by without thinking twice. Beyond the act of generosity, was the fact that there were a group of people on the other side of a synthetic band which seemed to stretch for miles, who were waiting along with him. Children were shedding tears for this man, who may have been their father. He would give them extended hugs as he would look onto to the older family members who tried their best to hold back emotion as a sign of strength. He would utter words in a dialect I could not decipher. Soon, he would surrender to the power of a strict boarding schedule, and bid farewell to his family.

Just by looking around, I’ve caught wind of everything from couples who are on the verge of their honeymoons, setting afoot not only on an adventure to foreign land, but on a journey created by a bond shared on the principles of love, to young passengers embarking on their first international flights, faces riddled with a wide array of emotions, to experienced travelers who could maneuver themselves through terminals blind folded. There are the people who are finally getting a chance to come home from years of separation, then there are those who are about to say goodbye to the very lives that had held them down from pursuing their dreams. Overall, there is such an ever-changing forum of lifestyles and personalities. that shuffle through the marble floors that eventually lead to the tarmac.

CAI: Cairo International Airport, CAIRO

I’ve even been caught up in an unexpected situation with an Australian girl I had fancied, where the gathering of the words “Come With Me” and “Barcelona” shook the very ground that I stood upon, in a McDonalds at Terminal 2 in Charles De Gaulle Airport. But that’s a story for another time hehe.

CDG: Charles De Gaulle Airport, PARIS

Airports are the proverbial welcome mats to our worldly adventures. For the most part, we scurry through them like worker ants hoping there isn’t a fault in our stars, or a gang of clouds in the sky. However sometimes, it’s comparative to that of a book with empty pages. Our footprints then act as the very ink that will flood its blank marble canvases with anecdotes and vignettes that are sure to entertain the idle mind.

And, of course, I understand. You’re probably either exhausted coming off a long flight, stripped for time and stripped of patience. But next time, if you have some time to kill, have a gander. You may just be at the epicenter of a story unfolding at the very seams. 

-PASSPORT|kenny